Plateau Lawmakers Fight At Stormy Session, Break Chairs

The sitting of the Plateau state House of Assembly was on Thursday disrupted when lawmakers physically attacked each other before the commencement of the session.

Journalists covering the assembly, as well as staff of the assembly, were sent out of the chambers before the fight started. A source said most members argued over the content of the day’s “order paper”.

According to the source, the Speaker, Peter Azi, who represents Jos north west, had insisted that the first item on the “order paper” should be the reading of a letter from the governor, Simon Lalong, nominating transition committee chairmen for local government councils.

The argument that followed soon resulted in physical clashes that lasted for about 15 minutes before security personnel intervened. Chairs of the chambers were destroyed by the irate lawmakers.

No member of the assembly spoke with journalists on the matter, therefore, the main reason for the fight could not be ascertained.

Another source said members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had walked out when the speaker, Mr. Azi, attempted to read the letter from the governor.

The governor, Mr. Lalong, recently sacked the chairpersons of the 17 local government areas of the state ahead of the expiration of their terms in February 2017.

Councillors from the 17 council areas who were also sacked alongside their chairmen were beaten at the assembly complex on Wednesday, when PDP and APC supporters clashed over the dissolution.